Tractor



May 21, 1946. c. A. HEDGLEN TRACTOR Filed Aug. 14, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet l Zhwentor Charles Hedg' er? l/v Nkwg Gttomeg May 21, 1946. I c. A. HEDGLEN 2,400,505

TRACTOR Filed Aug. 14, 1 945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 3nventor Charles A. Hedgl en BB I 644F110 (Ittomeg May 21', 1946. .c. A. HEDGLEN 2,400,505

' v TRACTOP Eiled Aug. 14, 1943 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Zmnentor har/esA.HecIgIe BB MAWW Ottomeg y- .1946- c. A. HEDGLEN 2,400,505

TRACTOR Fil ed Aug. 14, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Charles A. Hedgl en (Ittorneg Patented May 21, 1946 TRACTOR Charles A. Hedglen, Lansing, Mich., assignor, by

- decree of distribution, to Isabella Hedglen Application August 14, 1943, Serial No. 498,671 2 Claims. (CL 180-46) This invention relates to motor driven tractor mechanisms, and has for its object the provision of parts and devices of special construction and arrangement whereby the front and rear wheels may be turned for the purpose of steering the machine, the wheels being turned simultaneously or the front wheels and rear wheels arranged independently. It is a further object of this invention to provide means whereby the axles of the wheel may be extended to change the distance between the wheels on the same axle. An additional object of this invention is the introduction of particular mechanism for the raising or lowering the frame of the tractor and for securing the same in position, the whole is brought into a very low point, to prevent overturning on an inclined hillside or like situation.

The construction of the various parts of this invention and the arrangement. thereof are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which Fig. 1 represents a side view with the near wheelsremoved.

Fig. 2 is a top view, with the different positions ereby the center of gravity of Fig. 7 is a top view of a modified kingpin mem- I her. This view is a sectional illustration. the section being taken on the line l--1 of Fig. 5.

Fig. Bis a sectional view, somewhat enlarged. of the wheel carrying spindle and devices of one of the axles.. This sectional view is taken on the line 8-! of Fig. 5. Throughout the drawings and description the same number is used to refer to the same part. Considering the drawings, the frame I has the front and rear axle supporting plates 2 and 2a, the axle housings 3 and 3a carried by the plates, and the differentials of customary construction 4 and 4:1 for the axles, A motor M has its shaft connected by suitable reduction gearing in the and within each housing is a mitre gear I engaging alike gear 9 on axle l0. Gear 0 is thus driven by the axle, and it also engages a gear ring H on wheel l2. Wheels l2 are arranged in pairs in the usual .manner at the front and rear of the fram and each wheelis provided with operating means including the king pins I! usually of hexagonal cross section as illustrated in Fig. 7. Gear I mentioned is the'upper gear or pinion carried by the king pin l3, and that gear with a lower bearing l4 on the lower end of the king pin engage the gear ring H on the wheel. This is to keep the gear I in the'correct meshing arrangement with the ring. I

As shown in Fig.'6, on one side of the tractor the axle "a is squared in cross section and engages an extensible and spindle carrying portion I lib to which the gear 8 is attached. The added portion II of the axle housing I is constructed of such length as to permit the desired distance between the wheels to be arranged.

- Considering Figs. 5 and 6, the wheel spindle I! is held to the king pin I! by the removable clamp H.

Considering Figs. 1 and 4 the vertical tube ll contains the steering rod I! at the top of which is-the usual steering wheel as illustrated. Tube it rises from the upper portion 20 of the worm Wheel housing, the lower half or portion being 2!. At the lower end of the steering rod I! in housing 2| is a gear 22 engaging gear 23 on the end of the short shaft 24 that passes axially a shaft 2'! that carries a second double conical worm wheel 2| movably en ing the shaft .21 by means of a key 29, or in any equivalent way. A crank arm 3|, Fig. l, is arranged to turn the shaft 3|, Fig. 4, and by means of the yoke 12 and grooved collar 23 the shaft 21 may be longi-, tudinally reciprocated. If the yoke 22 with the collar 33 were thrown to the right hand from the position in Fig. 4, the mitre gear by means of the key 8! would becom engaged by the shaft 21, and such engagement would continue by wav of mitre gear 3 on the short shaft 31, pinion 38 on shaft )1, gear 39 to shaft 4| having the squared end 4| carrying the transverse lever 42 best shown in Fig. 2. The lever is held in place by the too 53 engaging. the worm wheel. Rotation of the worm wheel moves the lever in either direction desired. The lower lever shown in Fig. 3 engaging worm gear is the same as lever 5| in construction and operation.

In Fig. 2 are shown a clutch pedal 54 and a brake pedal 55 both pivotally carried by the cross shaft 46 and connected in any suitable manner with the clutch and brake contrivances of the machine. In this Fig. 2 is also set out, and likewise shown in Fig. 1, a Worm gear 56 rising out of a transmission T about midway of the frame, and engaging a worm wheel 51 which is secured .to a transverse shaft 58 that carries a pulley P, by means of which power take off i obtained from the motor M for driving adjacentlyplaced circular saws, threshing machines or such associated machinery. 1

The necessity for the modified lever 59 illustrated in Fig. '7 and clamped to'the king pin l3 by the clamping member 60, will be explained in connection with the statement of. th operation of this invention.

Again considering Fig. 2, it will be noted that the lever 5| described previously and shown in Fig. 3, is pivotally joined with a draw rod I by which the bell crank 52 is turned and the cross rod 63 operated to turn the crank arm N on the king in 13 and thereby turn the wheel upon a vertical diameter.

In the operation of this invention, the rotation of the steering wheel turns the worm wheel 25 and by reason of the connections hereinabove explained the front wheels may be correspondingly turned on their ivots in the planes of the wheels. If the shaft 21 is 'moved into key engagement with the worm wheel 25, the second worm wheel 28 is rotated by the steering devices and he rear wheels turned simultaneously but in a direction contrary to the movement of the front wheels by lever B! through steering connectionsil, $2 and 83'. The tractor will thus make a relatively short turn. If, however, the

shaft of the secondworm wheel 28 bemoved lengthwise by the operation of lever 50, and the pedals l4 and N are employed to give the worm wheel a partial rotation, the rear wheels may be independently of the steering gear caused to take up an inclined position as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 5 the chassis of the tractor is represented in a raised position. By removing the bolts holding the axle housing to the gear housing 8, the frame I and axles may be lowered into the position indicated by the broken lines. The

bolts are then replaced. The 'center'of gravity of the whole is very much lower, and tilting due to slant in the surface travel is materially reduced. It will be noted that in assuming the low osition the king pins are inverted. Therefore, the end of the crank arm It for turnin the king pins must extend in the opposite direcwidth of the wheel base, and the adjustment of the frame in its higher or lower position has been made clear by the foregoing explanation.

Having now described this invention, I claim:

1. In a tractor mechanism, a frame, front and rear pairs of wheels and axles, a motor, a motor shaft, each wheel having a gear ring thereon arranged concentrically therewith, a spindle engaging the center of the wheel whereon the wheel revolves, a rotative king pin on each wheel and arranged diametrically on the wheel, said king pins passing through the said spindle devices, each king pin having an upper pinion and a lower bearing engaging the ring on its wheel, driving connections between said motor shaft and axles, driving connections between said axles and said upper pinions, a'steering wheel, a steering rod having a-gear wheel at the. lower end thereof, a gear wheel meshing with the said gear and having a shaft, a double conical worm wheel, said gear shaft extending .into the worm wheel and engaging the same whereby the rotation of the steering wheel will rotate said worm wheel, a

lever having an end roller disk engaging the worm wheel and a pivoted fulcrum, the said front wheels of the tractor having crank arms and operative connections with the said lever enga ing the worm wheel whereby a movement of the worm wheel lever by the steering wheel turns the front wheels into different vertical planes.

2. In a tractor mechanism, a frame, front and rear pairs of wheels and axles, a motor, a motor shaft, each wheel having a gear ring thereon arranged concentrically therewith, a. spindle engaging the center of the wheel whereonthe wheel revolves, a rotative kingpin on each wheel and arranged diametrically on the wheel, said king pins passing through the said spindle devices.

bearing engaging the ring'on its wheel, driving connections between said motor shaft and axles,

driving connections between said axles and said upper pinions, a steering wheel, a steering rod having a gear wheel at the lower end thereof, a gear wheel meshing with the said gear and having a shaft, a double conical worm wheel, said gear shaft extending into the worm wheel and ena ging the same whereby the rotation of the steering wheel will rotate'said worm wheel, a

lever having an and roller disk engaging the worm wheel and a pivoted fulcrum, the said front wheels of the tractor having crank arms and operative connections with the said lever engaging the worm wheel whereby a movement of the worm wheel lever by the steering wheel turns the front wheels into different vertical positions, a second worm wheel .having a shaft movable lengthwise. and whereby both worm wheels may be coupled together, said second worm wheel having a lever and pivotal connecting rods as described arranged to act upon said rear wheels, and hand operated lever and crank arm connections whereby the shaft of said second worm wheel may be lengthwise moved in either direction.

CHARLES A. HEDGLEN. 

